1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system, method, and apparatus for managing a residential wastewater treatment system.
The apparatus of the invention includes a control and monitoring unit that includes a variety of different sensor inputs and circuitry enabling the unit to be adapted to a variety of different treatment installation configurations. A telemetry device is included to provide automatic notification to a remote monitoring center of the need for service, and regulatory monitoring, but with provision for delayed notification to allow for self-correction of a condition and avoid un-necessary service calls. The sensor circuitry detects open circuits as well as overcurrents, is temperature insensitive, and includes programmable trip points and alarm levels for optimal installation flexibility and user convenience.
The system of the invention includes a plurality of monitoring and control units for respective individual decentralized advanced wastewater treatment installations which are linked to a remote monitoring station. The individual monitoring and control units may include the features described above, although the system of the invention may also be applied to other monitoring or control units. Monitoring data sent to the remote monitoring station affords access to information provided by the control units as well as account management functions. The account management functions include a consolidated billing function that bills owners of individual installations for monitoring and/or service costs in a way that facilitates payment to multiple entities, such a distributor and/or repair service provider, a monitoring service that notifies the distributor or service provider should an alarm condition occur, and an administrator.
The method of the invention also involves monitoring and control of individual wastewater treatment installations, and may include the steps of monitoring for conditions that require service, providing a local alarm and waiting for the condition to be resolved without a service call, using the telemetry device to notify a monitoring service if the condition persists, and initiating a service call as necessary. In addition, the method of the invention may include steps associated with the above-described consolidated billing function.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional wastewater disposal system supplies the wastewater to a drain field that settles out solids and minimally treats the wastewater. In many cases, however, insufficient space or porous soil is available to support the conventional disposal system, in which case some sort of wastewater treatment is required. Such wastewater treatment systems use components such as aerators to force air into the wastewater to support aerobic sewage-digesting bacteria, and/or pumps to move the wastewater through filters, pretreatment tanks, surge chambers, baffles, and the like, before disposing of the treated wastewater. A wide variety of such advanced wastewater treatment systems are available from different manufacturers.
A problem with advanced systems is that they are used by owners who lack the knowledge, ability, or desire to properly maintain the system. Components of the system can malfunction, presenting serious health and environmental hazards, without the owner even being aware that a malfunction has occurred. As a result, monitoring and regular maintenance is critical. Despite the potential advantages of aerobic or other advanced treatment methods, including less groundwater pollution than conventional septic tanks, and enabling development of sites that are too small to support a conventional drain field, many localities have simply prohibited the systems. Others subject advanced systems to burdensome regulatory requirements, increasing costs and inconvenience. Aerobic systems may allow a site to be developed that could not otherwise support a conventional septic system.
In order to overcome these problems, NSF and ANSI have proposed a standard, known as NSF/ANSI Standard 40, that provides detailed specifications for residential wastewater treatment systems, including calls for regular maintenance as well as monitoring to ensure compliance with treatment standards. A number of systems have been developed to meet this standard, with the monitoring and compliance portion of the standard being met by using the Internet to monitor individual units.
An example of a wastewater treatment installation designed to comply with NSF/ANSI standard 40 is offered by Orenco Systems, Inc. The Orenco Systems wastewater treatment installation includes a control and monitoring panel, described at www[.]vericomm[.]net, that automatically notifies a remote monitoring center of alarm conditions via the Internet. When a malfunction is detected, the VeriComm control panel immediately issues an alert, resulting in the remote monitor scheduling a service call. The homeowner can access control functions and clear alarms, but only through the website operated by the remote monitor.
Other wastewater treatment installations that include remote monitoring are disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2002/0143596 (Carmody), and 2004/0019511, 2005/0021359, and 2005/00230455 (all to McKinney). In general, these publications focus on the monitoring and regulatory compliance aspect of the systems, and in particular on notification of service providers of the need for service, and reporting of service calls/conditions. The Carmody publication, for example, concerns assignment of service providers and reporting of service calls, while the McKinney publication adds automatic monitoring not only of the treatment system, but also service personnel visiting the system. A general listing of treatment units that comply with Product Standard 40 is found at www[.]nsf[.]org/certified/wastewater/Listings[.]asp?TradeNam e=&Standard=40.
There are several problems with conventional Product Standard 40 compliant monitoring systems:                First, most are only capable of being used in connection with a specific system, and cannot be retrofitted onto existing systems, or adapted to different equipment configurations.        Second, conventional remote monitoring systems do not allow self-correction of conditions that trigger an alarm, leading to wasted service calls and/or an extended waits to resolve problems. For example, an overcurrent condition may be caused by debris on the aerator shaft, which necessitates service, but on the other hand may also be the result of high water in the treatment system. The high water creates an additional drag on the aerator, increasing the operating current. This problem may be caused by a short term hydraulic flow surge such as emptying a bath tub, which is a very temporary condition that resolves itself and does not significantly affect the treatment process. If the condition simply resolves itself without intervention, then an automatic service call may not be necessary. The Orenco, Carmody, and McKinney systems cited above appear to initiate a call-out immediately upon detecting a problem, which can result in nuisance calls where the condition is temporary and allowing it to clear itself does not significantly affect the treatment process.        Third, while many monitoring systems check for overcurrents resulting from excessive load on a system component motor, such as an aerator or pump motor, prior systems do not check for undercurrents at the control panel, which is indicative of an open circuit condition. This could be caused by a broken wire, loose or corroded wire or a junction not making good contact, or any number of malfunctioning electrical components. It could also be caused by an owner or service provider leaving a unit unplugged. The conventional failure to monitor open circuit conditions or undercurrents means that it is possible for potentially serious system or component failures to go unreported.        Fourth, present control panels do not allow for multiple overload/trip points for overcurrent conditions. Instead, current panels utilize a circuit breaker or motor starter type device which establishes a trip point based on a specified amount of current received for a specified period of time. These may not be optimum time/trip points for a particular aerator or pump motor, and in addition are subject to temperature changes. It would be desirable to be able to adjust the trip point to a particular system, to establish multiple trip points for different alarm levels, and to enable compensation for temperature (or to make the circuit breaker/alarm circuit temperature insensitive). For example, a very high current might require an alarm condition within a very short time, while a moderately high current could justify a longer wait before triggering the alarm.        Finally, there is the problem that once the service contract required by Standard 40 and/or other regulations expires, it is difficult to get consumers to renew the contract or sign with another service provider, due to the inconvenience of having to deal with multiple parties having different signing procedures and billing systems. The service provider may, for example, be a small local company. Consumers resent having to pay the service provider and also a monitoring service, or even for paying for “sewage” treatment in the first place, or may simply neglect to sign with one or the other. Conversely, it is difficult for the small service provider to collect regular payments. These problems can be alleviated by providing a centralized billing arrangement that is simple for the consumer, and that consolidates all payments into a single invoice. On the other hand, if a consumer decides not to renew a monitoring contract, it should be possible to decommission the control panel so that it functions as a stand-alone control panel with local alarms but no remote monitoring.        